Some really solid pitching performances yesterday for me, but their respective teams really miffed me. Moore pitches a gem and Tampa manages to blow his W. Latos dominates the Mets, and his team can't muster a run against Chris Young and the worst bullpen in baseball until he's removed after seven innings. Tim Hudson at least treated the Padres like the Padres, though Greinke remains disappointing since moving back to the AL. Thankfully his team scores 8 runs per game for him.

Anyway, as my league's trade deadline approaches, I made a move that's either going to elevate my pitching staff or completely destroy it. I send Mat Latos (my team couldn't keep him, but his team will), Marco Estrada, and Jeff Samardzija in return for Tim Lincecum, Wade Miley, and Michael Fiers. That's a lot of risk and uncertainty coming back my way, with me potentially sending the best player in the deal away. My prayer is that Lincecum and Miley can eat up their NL West foes in September (that's all they each face the entire month, plus SF closes out August with Houston and the Cubs). With this being the last week of my league's regular season, and us giving a try to 2-week H2H Playoff matchups this year, having guys get 2 or 3 different NL West matchups in a given 2-week stretch seemed very enticing, especially with how they've each pitched of late. Fiers, despite getting rocked hard in Colorado the other night, has a cake walk remainder of August, slated to face PHI, @PIT, and @CHC, though his September schedule is more of a mixed bag. Still, the guy has been an absolute beast and I hope he can continue through the remainder of the season, striking out a ton of guys throwing the speed necessary for time travel.

Does anybody else obsess over potential pitching schedule in H2H Playoffs as much as I do? When it's do or die, that's probably what I spend 90% of my time projecting and structuring my team around. If/when the league switches to a balanced schedule (next year?), it won't be as big of a deal, but the past few years loading up on NL West pitchers, even marginal ones, or ones slated to face inferior offensive opponents in general has really paid dividends. I'm happier having Miley on my team than a pitcher who would be considered worlds better, because he faces schmucks essentially through the end of the season. For example, as bad as Jason Marquis is, he has he pitched incredibly effectively lately, so people are likely jumping to snatch him up cause he's a NL West guy who should have east matchups the remainder of the way, right? *Stephen A. Smith voice* HowEVUH, his next several projected matchups look like this: @ATL, PIT, ATL, @COL, ARI, COL, @ARI, LAD. Doesn't get to face the Giants a single time, gets the Braves twice, the Rockies twice (once at Coors). Bleh. Now, that could potentially shift and change his matchups, but that projection looks pretty set. In fact, maybe I'll start a thread on projecting guys through the remainder of the year, and see if it's helpful at all...

Matt Moore's last month... 5 GS, 4 - 1, 4 QS, 1.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 37.2 IP, 37 K, 13 BB so happy I have this guy for the next two years as a keeper. Thrilled to see him going deeper into games, too. Last night 95 pitches got him through 7.0 IP, and that was while fanning 9. Earlier in the year we would've been lucky to get 5.

I was somehow lucky enough, at the time, to grab both Latos and Moore off of waivers in late May and early June. Since then those two have combined for 13 wins, 143 strikeouts, 2.75 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP in 146 innings In fact it worked out so well since I also have Verlander and Hamels, I as able to trade Latos last week for Matt Holliday! Now I am just hoping to remain in the money race for the rest of the season.